The Chicago Cubs are releasing veteran reliever Héctor Neris, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The 35-year-old was designated for assignment and has already cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent with a little over a month left in the regular season.
Neris spent the last two seasons with the Houston Astros and was excellent in a setup role recording 56 holds between 2022 and 2023 with a 1.03 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 133⅓ innings. The veteran was signed to a one-year, $9MM contract over the winter with the Cubs, and he appeared in 46 games, recording 17 saves, three holds and a 3.89 ERA this season, but blew five of 25 saves, with career-worst strikeout (46) and walk rates of 23.1% and 13.3%, respectively in 44 innings.
Neris’ spot on the 40-man roster will be filled by right-hander Jack Neely, whose contract is being selected from Triple-A Iowa. Neely was acquired from the Yankees in the deadline trade sending Mark Leiter Jr. to the Bronx. The 24-year-old righty was the Yankees’ 11th-round pick in 2021, with MLB.com ranking him 18th among Chicago farmhands.
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